HTC Magic live video demo from MWC

If the Palm Pre isn’t to your taste, and you prefer your smartphones with a little more Android flavor, then MWC’s other standout device has to be the HTC Magic. Announced exclusively on Vofadone in Europe, the second official smartphone to run Google’s open-source Android platform drops the hardware keyboard and bulky casing of the T-Mobile G1 and replaces it with a slick on-screen QWERTY and contoured white body.

Demo video of the HTC Magic Android smartphone after the cut

While the device we were playing with had non-final buttons – the Magic had a last-minute redesign, as you can see in the official press shots – otherwise there’s very little difference between it and what you’ll be able to buy in stores come Q2 2009. Touchscreen responsiveness seems on a par with the iPhone, at least during our relatively short time with the Magic, and the reduced thickness and less pronounced “chin” angle make it more comfortable to hold than the G1.

HTC also revealed that there’s nothing in their Vodafone deal preventing them from developing a version of the Magic for an American carrier, with the suitable 3G reworking so that it can be used on the US GSM 3G networks. For full details on our interview with HTC about the Magic, plus a full hands-on gallery of over fifty live photos, head over to our sibling-site Android Community.